Mountainside junior Nedya Sawan (right) was named the Metro League player of the year.

Even if nobody expected much from Mountainside’s girls soccer team in its first varsity season, the Mavericks weren’t selling themselves short.

“I think the girls knew that they could be good, so they kind of had that pressure on themselves,” coach Travis Schoonover said. “There’s probably not that much pressure from the outside.”

With no seniors and only four juniors, Mountainside defied expectations by going 11-3-1 and claiming the No. 4 seed to the 6A playoffs. The Mavericks beat Wilson 6-0 in a first-round game Saturday and play host to No. 13 Sheldon (11-3-1) in a second-round game Wednesday.

Each win breaks new ground for the Beaverton school. If the Mavericks can get past Sheldon, they could face a rematch with No. 5 Sunset, a team they defeated 4-1 in a Metro League match.

“I think we can make a decent run,” Schoonover said.

Mountainside started its program last year with a junior varsity team of freshmen and sophomores. Considering the Mavericks had six players from Elite Clubs National League teams, they showed promise, and delivered with a 13-1 record.

The team believed that success could carry over against varsity competition this season. Schoonover said the team hoped to finish in the top three in the Metro and ended up in a three-way tie for second place at 4-2. The No. 4 playoff seed was a pleasant surprise, though.

“I didn’t really anticipate getting ranked that high,” Schoonover said. “We exceeded the expectations. I thought we’d get into the playoffs, second round, maybe quarterfinals, somewhere in there. But in the last three or four weeks, we’re looking to make a little more noise, at this point.”

It helps that the team has a bona-fide star in junior forward Nedya Sawan, who played a varsity season as a freshman at Southridge before moving over to Mountainside last year.

Sawan, who committed to the University of Portland before her sophomore season, scored about 40 goals for Mountainside in 2017 and has more than 20 goals this season. She was named the Metro player of the year.

“She kind of has it all,” Schoonover said of Sawan, who scored three goals in the playoff win over Wilson. “She’s got size, she’s pretty quick, and she’s got pace. She strikes the ball with either her left or right foot. She’s a competitive kid. She kind of has that determination and grit, to get it done, whatever it takes.”

Despite the team’s talent, Mountainside has had moments when it could have benefited from senior leadership. In a 1-0 loss to Westview, the team became anxious after falling behind in the first half.

“We spent pretty much the entire time in front of their goal in the second half, and we just couldn’t score,” Schoonover said. “I think the girls pressed more than they should have.”

Mountainside had four players voted to the Metro second team in freshman midfielder Emma Rogers, junior defender Bethany Newton, sophomore defender Izzie Carrington and junior goalkeeper Sidney O’Billovich.